Christmas Shoes
by Little-miss-laughs-alot
Summary: Kurt gets a reminder of the past when the New directions sing a certain song. Read to find out more!


**Okay, so, like I said in ****_Bruises_****, I've been looking through my old flash drive, which I recently located after about a year. I found some old stuff on it, and decided to publish it. This one, I'm actually not sure when it's supposed to take place, because Sam's there, but so is Kurt, but Blaine isn't… Soooo…. Let's just accept that it's AU, shall we? This is a bit like a songfic, but not really. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER-I don't own Glee, or ****_The Christmas Shoes_****!**

The whiteboard read "Happy Holidays!" the Christmas tree was decorated, and the New Directions were all bedecked in the ugliest Christmas sweaters they could find. It was the last week before Christmas break, and the New Directions were all getting in the holiday spirit, singing nothing but holiday songs all week. Rachel was wearing a snowflake sweater, an atrocity that Kurt suspected had been found in her own closet. Santana, Brittany and Quinn were all wearing reindeer sweaters over their Cheerios uniforms, and Puck was wearing his letterman jacket over his sweater. The rest of the club was dressed similarly, even Mr. Shue, who was wearing a Christmas tree patterned sweater with real working Christmas lights on it. There had been Santa hats, reindeer antlers, and Rudolph noses handed out to them when they came into the tinsel-covered room. Everyone was laughing and having a good time waiting for rehearsal to start.

Well, almost everyone. Kurt sat in his normal seat in the back row of the choir room, wearing a dark pea coat, black skinny jeans, and quietly watched his friends as they chatted amongst themselves. Mercedes had tried multiple times to draw him into the conversation, but he declined each time, preferring to keep away from the festivities. Eventually, Mr. Shue decided to get started, raising his voice to be heard over the noise. "Hey guys! Listen up!" Slowly the talking subsided faces turning to their smiling teacher.

"Well, happy holidays, everyone! This is the last meeting of the year, so let's get down to business!" He reached into his bag and pulled out a stack of sheet music. "This is all holiday music that we haven't sung yet, that aren't as well-known as songs like _Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, _and _Rudolph, _and I thought it would be kind of cool to see what we can do with it." A few people let out whoops, and Rachel sat forward, ready to receive her solo, but the curly-haired man continued talking. "I'm not going to assign parts, you guys can work that out yourselves, but I would like to hear someone other than Rachel, okay?" He looked directly at the girl, "No storming out today."

He started handing out the music, and everyone looked it over, glancing at the titles as they flipped through. None of them really rang a bell, which meant that Mr. Shue had definitely been right; these songs were definitely not well known. Many of them were faster paced, judging by the tempo indication at the top of each of the sheets, and some of the titles were just ridiculous. "Okay, converse and decide for yourselves what you want to sing first, and who will get which part, then surprise me!" The group quickly converged at the back of the room.

"No! I think we should sing this one!" Sam stated, holding out one of the sheets for everyone to read.

Santana raised an eyebrow, and several others snorted. "_What Can You Get a Wookie for Christmas_ (_When he Already Owns a Comb_)? Seriously?"

"Yeah! It's from the Star Wars Christmas Album, _Christmas in the Stars_." Everyone just stared for a second before moving on.

"I don't even want to know why you actually know that song." Santana said before going back to the sheet music. Sam shrugged and followed suit.

About two minutes later, Finn raised his hand as if he was in class. "Guys? How about this one?" He set down the paper so that everyone could read it.

"It sounds kind of sad, don't you think?" Quinn said as she read the title. Finn shrugged. "Yeah, it is, but it's got a nice tune, and there's a lot of room for different people to sing the different verses. What do you think?" By that point, everyone had found the song and was reading it over.

"I'm down with it." Puck said, surprisingly. At everyone else's weird looks, he said, "Hey, it's this, or _What Can You Get a Wookie For Christmas_. This is a pretty good deal." Everyone else nodded at his logic, even Sam, who looked slightly down about the fact that they weren't singing Star Wars.

"Kurt? Are you okay with this one? Kurt?" Mercedes looked up at Kurt, who was gazing off into nowhere. "Kurt!" The boy jumped slightly, finally turning around and noticing everyone's eyes on him. "What?" He asked, causing Mercedes to give him a worried look.

"We were wondering if you were okay with singing this song." Mercedes asked, still eyeing him concernedly. He hardly glanced at it before agreeing. Finn spoke next. "Do you guys want to go over it a few times together, or just do it?" Everyone looked at each other for a second before Quinn spoke for everyone.

"Just do it. We can all read the music." Everyone nodded in agreement before handing out the parts and heading to the front of the room. Rachel, surprisingly, didn't throw a hissy fit about not getting the lead, considering the way they split it up had everyone singing an almost equal portion, giving nobody a lead. "Mr. Shue!" Rachel called, after informing the jazz band what they would be singing, to let them switch instruments accordingly. "We're ready!" Mr. Shuester looked up from a paper he was grading, smiling. "I'm ready to hear you!"

They assembled in front of the piano, facing the seats. Finn looked around, making sure everyone was ready before nodding to Brad, who, in turn signaled the band. A gentle melody started, the piano and the harp playing a short, unfamiliar intro, before the rest of the band joined in softly. Finn stepped forward.

_It was almost Christmas time; there I stood in another line_

_Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood_

_Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously_

_Pacing 'round like little boys do_

_And in his hands he held a pair of shoes_

Sam took Finn's place in front of the group, singing the next few lines.

_His clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe_

_And when it came his time to pay_

_I couldn't believe what I heard him say_

Kurt swallowed and stepped forward, reading the lines as he sang the chorus.

_Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please_

_It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size_

_Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time_

_You see she's been sick for quite a while_

He faltered slightly, eyes misting as he sang. He was an eight-year-old boy again, in a department store wearing the same clothes he had for three days and clutching a pair of blue heels.

_And I know these shoes would make her smile_

_And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight_

Kurt stepped back hurriedly, wiping his eyes as Tina took his spot.

_He counted pennies for what seemed like years_

_Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here"_

_He searched his pockets frantically_

_Then he turned and he looked at me_

The next part, Santana and Brittany sang together, voices mixing and merging together to create a beautiful harmony. Kurt remembered turning to face the man behind him, begging and hoping that he might be able to make his mother smile one more time.

_He said Mama made Christmas good at our house_

_Though most years she just did without_

_Tell me Sir, what am I going to do,_

_Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes_

Artie rolled up to the front of the group, taking over the next few lines.

_So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out_

_I'll never forget the look on his face when he said_

_Mama's gonna look so great_

Rachel hurried up to the front of the group to sing her lines, determined to make those three lines the best.

_Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please_

_It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size_

_Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time_

Puck sang the next bit, hands deep in his pockets as he sang.

_You see she's been sick for quite a while_

_And I know these shoes would make her smile_

_And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight_

Mercedes took over the bridge, the part suiting her voice and style better than any other portion of the song would.

_I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love_

_As he thanked me and ran out_

_I knew that God had sent that little boy_

_To remind me just what Christmas is all about_

They all joined together for the chorus, not needing to read their music for that part.

_Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please_

_It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size_

_Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time_

_You see she's been sick for quite a while_

_And I know these shoes would make her smile_

_And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight_

Everyone but Kurt backed off, as previously agreed, and Kurt sang the last chorus alone.

_Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please_

_It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size_

_Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time_

_You see she's been sick for quite a while_

_And I know these shoes would make her smile_

_And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight._

He held the last note, letting it fade as the piano played softly behind him. He wasn't eight anymore, and his mother was gone. He broke into a quiet sob and sat down on one of the stools. Nobody noticed but Brad, who gave him a silent smile and offered him a tissue from the box next to him. Kurt nodded his thanks, turning his attention back on the group.

Mr. Shue was clapping and complimenting their performance, and he said something that made them all pay attention. "Did you guys know that this is a true story?"

"Really?" Finn asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Mr. Shue said, "the guy who wrote this song was actually from around here, and about eight or nine years ago, he was standing in line on Christmas Eve, and this happened." This made everyone exchange amazed looks.

"Wow, I thought it had been made up to, like, tell everyone the meaning of Christmas or something." Puck said.

"You said he was from around here?" Rachel asked, impressed.

"Yeah, actually right outside of Lima. The store was actually-"

"C.R. Restons." Kurt said dully, interrupting his teacher.

Mr. Shue stared at Kurt, along with the rest of the club. "What?"

"C.R. Restons," Kurt said in the same dull tone, "the department store. It was December 24th, 2001. Also known as the worst day of my life." Everyone just stared at him, not knowing what he was talking about, but then Finn spoke up.

"Kurt's mom died on Christmas Eve when he was eight." Everybody's expressions cleared, then saddened, as most of the girls moved over to Kurt and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, beau." Mercedes murmured in his ear as she hugged him. Kurt wiped away the tears in his eyes, "It's okay, Cedes. It was a long time ago."

"Kurtie?" Brittany spoke up. She had an expression of deep thought on her face, an odd look for Brittany. "Were you the little boy in the song? Is that why you're so sad?" Everyone stared at the blonde for a minute, before whipping their heads around to look at Kurt, who had a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

"I'm not sure, but it seems to be too close to my story to be a coincidence." Brittany watched him for a second before saying something else. "What is your story?" Kurt looked startled at the topic change. "What do you mean, Britt?"

"I mean that you can tell us what happened, then we can decide if it's the story from the song!" The girl clapped her hands like a little kid as the others just stared at her. Brittany wasn't the brightest bulb, but every once in a while, she would say something that had everyone questioning how dumb she seemed to be. Rachel shrugged, "I don't see why not. It's not like we have to practice for anything right now." A few people raised eyebrows at her. "What?" She asked.

"Don't you think it's _Kurt's _decision if he wants to share? Not yours?" Mercedes asked the short brunette, who blushed. "Oh, right."

"It's okay," Kurt said, "I can tell you." He fidgeted slightly on his stool, and everyone else pulled over chairs or other stools and sat down in a semi-circle. Even the jazz band appeared to be listening. "Well, like Finn told you, I was eight, and it was Christmas Eve. Christmas had always been a big deal in my house, even if we didn't have much. My dad was just getting started with his garage, so we didn't always have a lot of money, but Christmas was always special. My mom was a great cook," He smiled sadly, "I may have a biased opinion, but she could make anything taste good, and she was always great about letting me help her in the kitchen.

"Every Christmas, she would make the food taste better than the year before, always trying something new, and nothing ever seemed to turn out bad. I guess that was what I thought about life, too, that nothing would ever turn out bad with my mom around." He shook his head. "I was definitely wrong." Kurt paused for a moment to take a shaky breath. "When I was about to turn eight, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was already in the later stages, so there wasn't much anyone could do. The doctors were less concerned with healing her- although they did try- than trying to make her as comfortable as possible before she had to go." Mercedes reached over and squeezed his hand in support, and he smiled at her gratefully.

"By that December, she was only expected to live a few more weeks. Because of that, my dad and I hardly left the hospital. By that Christmas Eve, it wasn't how many days she had left, it was a matter of hours." He took a deep breath. "My dad was so preoccupied with Mom, that I was able to slip away and go to C.R. Restons with my jar of savings to buy her a present. I probably hadn't changed my clothes in about five days, and I was filthy, and I only had coins and a few one dollar bills, so I'm pretty sure some people thought I was homeless." Kurt chuckled dryly. "I had seen a pair of heels there on sale, that were the same color as her eyes. The shoes were blue, with shimmers of gray and green," He blinked slowly, before looking up with eyes that he had gotten from his mother.

"I really wanted to get those shoes for her, but I had underestimated the price, because when I went to pay for them, I didn't have enough money. I could tell that the people in line behind me were getting annoyed, and all I could think of was getting back to my mom, because I would never forgive myself if I wasn't able to say goodbye. So, I asked the man behind me to help me, and I explained why I was in a hurry. He paid for what I couldn't afford, and as soon as I got the shoes, I ran as fast as I could back to the hospital. I ran up to the hospital room, and nobody stopped me because they all knew me by that point. When I got back, my mom was still alive. I gave her the shoes, and she asked my dad to put them on her, because she couldn't sit up anymore. She told me she loved me, gave me a kiss, then that was it." Tears were glistening in his eyes. "She was gone."

There wasn't a dry eye in the room by that point, even though Puck would deny it. The girls all hugged Kurt, who was crying. The guys were all roughly wiping away their tears, and Mr. Shue was watching everyone with tears glistening in his eyes for the boy who had gone through so much.

**A/N- Wow, I seemed to have a thing for Kurt angst back then. Along with Kurt telling long stories… Oh well! BTW-I'm sorry if I got anything about cancer wrong, not that I put in much info, but if I did, I apologize.**

**I hope you liked it! I realize it was a kinda crappy ending, but I couldn't think of anything better when I was reading through it. Please review! Loved it? Wanted to make it explode? Let me know in a review! **

**-Little-miss**


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